ROSSENDALE produced a magnificent fightback to claim a point after trailing 3-1 inside the first 20 minutes. Their performance in that time can only be described as shambolic, as they gifted the visitors all three goals with some woeful defending.

There was a sign of things to come after just three minutes as Heffernan's back header fell short of Allison, but Suddick screwed his shot wide when clean through on goal. Spennymoor's opener came just six minutes later. A poor ball in midfield was picked up by Kasonali, and he fed Lee Adamson who lifted the ball over the keeper.

Rossendale dragged themselves back level on the 15 minute mark. Steve Cunningham muscled his way past Hurst to latch onto a long punt upfield and knocked the ball past the keeper for his second in two games.

The Dale defence then fell apart as Adamson got his second on 17 minutes and just two minutes later Skedd was given the freedom of Dark Lane to pick out an unmarked Jarrod Suddick at the back post who made it 3-1.

This appeared to wake Dale up and they dominated the remainder of the game, limiting Spennymoor to odd breaks upfield, from which they still caused a shaky defence no end of trouble.

As Rossendale piled on the pressure, Bowman fired over from the edge of the box and Chris Brooks rolled his shot wide after being set up by Cunningham.

Just two minutes before the break, Rossendale received the boost they needed as Howarth crossed to the back post and Paul Lynch smashed the ball home off the underside of the bar.

At the start of the second half, Rossendale continued their bombardment of the visitors goal. Howarth went close with a low shot that was well saved, and several dangerous crosses flashed across the Spennymoor six yard box with no one on the end of them.

Just as it appeared that Dale wouldn't get the equaliser, with just two minutes remaining the ball dropped to Lynch on the edge of the box and he curled a measured shot into the top corner for the equaliser.

There was still time for a sending off as Andy Hurst received his marching orders for Spennymoor, and Greenall had the final chance of the game when the ball dropped to his feet from a corner, but he fired over from 10 yards.

ROSSENDALE UTD 3 SPENNYMOOR UTD 3